A control circuit accesses topograms of a patient that include patient content that is beyond the portion of the patient that appears in the three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) images for that patient. The control circuit uses those topograms to derive a virtual volumetric structure representing at least some of the patient content that is beyond the aforementioned portion of the patient that appears in the 3D CT images. That virtual volumetric structure can then be used to predict potential collisions when assessing a radiation treatment plan for the patient that utilizes the aforementioned radiation treatment platform. By one approach the topograms include at least two substantially orthographic views of the aforementioned patient content.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the topograms include at least two substantially orthographic views of the patient content.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the two at least substantially orthographic views include an anterior-posterior view and a lateral view.
4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the topograms consist of only two at least substantially orthographic views of the patient content.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the topograms of the patient further include images of at least one fixation device.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the topograms include two at least substantially orthographic views of the patient content.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the two at least substantially orthographic views include an anterior-posterior view and a lateral view.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein the topograms consist of only two at least substantially orthographic views of the patient content.
10. The method of claim 6 wherein the topograms of the patient further include images of at least one fixation device.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the topograms include at least two substantially orthographic views of the patient content.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the at least two substantially orthographic views include an anterior-posterior view and a lateral view.
15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the topograms consist of only two substantially orthographic views of the patient content.
16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the topograms also include at let part of a patient fixation device.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the control circuit is further configured to use the topograms to derive a virtual volumetric structure representing the patient content beyond the portion of the patient by using the topograms to derive a virtual volumetric structure representing at least the patient fixation device and the patient content beyond the portion of the patient.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the control circuit is further configured to use the virtual volumetric structure to predict potential collisions when assessing a radiation treatment plan for the patient that utilizes the radiation treatment platform by using the virtual volumetric structure to predict potential collisions when assessing a radiation treatment plan for the patient that utilizes the radiation treatment platform and the patient fixation device.
19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the specific radiation treatment platform includes at least one component that physically moves with respect to the patient when administering a radiation treatment plan, such that a collision can potentially occur between the patient and/or the patient fixation device and the radiation treatment platform during administration of therapeutic radiation to the patient.
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March 30, 2020
August 9, 2022
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